When Wolves Cry
by Malice Shaw
Summary: PG-13 just to be safe. A look inside the head of Sniper Wolf as she contempts her life of being a sniper, and just what she was thinking while on her deathbed in the cold snow. My first Metal Gear fic, so be gentle! Read it! And review it!


When Wolves Cry 

****************** 

Cross hairs slid into one another, keeping the target in sight. The Hero. I can see him perfectly from here. Watch as each breath he takes escapes into the cold air of this snowfield in a white mist, dissipating into nothing. The grim determination on his handsome features, he is not your average good looking poster boy, no indeed, but more for the rugged look of a man who's featured have been weathered down by the storms of war. His eyes are scared, worried, causing him more pain then I can tell. He is like us all, a dog of war so to speak. I can feel a slight twist in my heart. Obviously I can tell by the slight downward turn of his lips as he weilds a socom against the cold and squints from the blinding snow storm, he does not wish to be here.. 

And I do? 

I am a sniper. Waiting is my job. I do not wish to be here, but this is the only place I can belong. FOX-HOUND was my last escape, my refuge from the war torn Hell that was my home. Starving and bleeding I was found, by my Saladin, and taken from the horrid and corrupted land that was once my beautiful home into another personal Hell hole. He wanted, in his own way to save me. Yet instead he brought me into my own palisade of a life where I watched everything, the ugliness of mankind and the treacHerous deciet of the world through my rifle scope. For once, I was not the victim but the victor, and I reveled in it. It felt so beautiful, like the starry skies of Alaska, to be freed from my cage. No longer was I the scared little girl called Angelique Shivian. She is dead. Like the Phoenix rising from it's ashes, from her death Sniper Wolf was born. 

And I never miss my target... 

The sharp winds are tearing at my clothing. Pulling my jacket around my body tighter, I kneel down in a huddle, and begin to pray. I am not all the way healed just yet from the wounds I recieved earlier from this man, but my diazepam keeps me stable. Sometimes it even stopped the bloodflow. Unfortunetely I have become dependant upon it, my body quivering with withdrawl each time I miss taking that one damned pill. They were my only weakness, my one torture. But I would never let anyone else know that. Especially not Ocelot, damn him. He knows just the right buttons to push, the right places to touch, to drive one insane. 

He's turning to me now. Faintly I can see the scar forming on his cheek, where my nail grazed his skin. The blood scabbed over the cut skin forming a dark line across his cheek bone that made me wish to heal it. All too sudden I can feel that familiar ache in my heart, the guilt over what I have done to his woman. She was never my real target. This one was, and yet I used her to get to him when I could have easily taken him out with one single bullet. His face is showing itself to me now. It is etched with honor, compassion and fear, a beautiful combination that the Boss does not have. Wolf, you are getting soft. 

Oh God. I can see his eyes from here. And he can see mine. Hero's.. They pierce into me, like daggers. 

Daggers of fear. 

Daggers of sadness. 

Daggers of hope. 

He knows I am here. He can sense me. I can feel it. 

The red line of my gun, my friend, is now at his heart. Closing my eyes, I lift the barrel higher, only to graze his shoulder. 

A low, muffled shot, and he groans, and then is down. A smile traces my lips and I nod. It is time. 

Letting my eyes adjust to the snow storm's icy winds, I peer through the soft white haze at him. I watch as he pulls himself to his knees and searchs the dense snow storm for me, and then kneels down to contact whomever he is calling. Using my fingers I switch on my own Codec, and intercept his call. 

"I can see you perfectly from here." I purr at him, chuckling. His snarl of distaste makes me feel sick. 

"You must be pretty good if you can hit me in this snow storm." Hero snides to me. The compliment makes me laugh. Is he hitting on me? 

"See? Just what I told you. Women naturally make better assassins." 

"I'm going to make you pay for what you did to Meryl." His voice chills me further then the snowstorm ever could. Just like a Hero. 

"You men are so weak." I murmer, continuing my speech. I watch his eyes narrow at me through the tiny window as each word I say stings him hard. It leaves me little satisfaction. 

"Snake! Wolf! NO!" 

Hal? Is that.. you? You are working with him? He is such a gentle soul, Hal is. His tireless efforts to help me save my family when we took over gave him a special place in my heart. I have nothing, so to thank him I gave him my monogramed handkerchief. My eyes were adverted but still watching as he looked at me with eyes of an emotion I refuse to allow myself to feel. Love. 

"Be quiet!!" I shout at him, more harshly then I wanted to. "Don't get between a wolf and it's prey!" 

To my shock he does what I say, his pleading silenced. Placing my attention back to the Hero, I whisper my last threat. "I'm going to send you a love letter my dear. Do you know what that is?" A slight narrow of his eyes. "It's a bullet, straight from my gun, to your heart." 

Switching off the codec, I rip it from my waist and toss it aside, ignoring Hal's calls as they echo inside my head. Laying on my stomach to the floor, once again I peer through my rifle scope at the world, and watch for an opening for my target. 

The battle started faster then I had first figured it would. He is good. Each time my bullets hit him it was only to graze at that thick suit he was wearing. Yet each of his bullets found their mark, hitting me hard no matter how hard desperately I dodge the firing bullets. I recognize the shape of the gun he weilds as my very own PSG-1. I had it placed in the underground basement, is that where he got it? A sharp pain sliced upon my leg and I screamed through gritted teeth as the bullet pulled itself out of my body. Cursing under my breath I pulled my weary body to take cover behind a tree, gasping as the sight of my own blood darkened the snow we treaded upon. Taking this moment, I rest a bit and let my mind wander to the fallen faces of my comrades. Mantis, Octopus... All of them, their lives taken away by the Hero. The killing, it never stopped in my home. Yet I have learned that from this point on, the only thing that matters is self preservation. My training took me to this point. Never. I shall not fail you my Saladin. 

Using my hands to feel around the tree, I use my senses to tell me where he is hiding. Hero is good at hiding, like the snake he is. Breathing deep, I ignore the scalding pain in my leg and show myself to face the battle field, using my slitted eyes to search for his placement on the battlefield. This is a battle I cannot lose. 

It took less then a minute for his last bullet to fire. 

Even less so for it to penetrate my chest. 

Even less so for my mouth to open wide and scream my defeat. 

Collapsing onto the hard ground, I shut my lids tight against the falling snow flakes that sting my eyes. Only in one position should I feel the ice of the skies falling to my face. 

I am defeated. 

My tears feel hot on my face. I can feel Hero's footsteps come to me, heavy with regret. I resent them. He still walks among us. Upon closer examination of his shadowed form I realize that for the first time in my tainted life.. 

I missed my target. 

The skies. Even in my deathbed, I can see them, black velvet spotted with diamonds. Glistening, beautiful, far too beautiful for my ugly eyes worthy to see. The snow is stopping now, clearing the way for my tired eyes to finally see and understand what I had become. The Heavens beckon me to their awaiting grasps, and I feel myself being pulled towards their waiting arms, gracious to be accepted. But not just yet. I see the Hero coming closer, and closer still. Hero.. 

He kneels down beside me, and I turn my head to gaze up into his serene eyes. Grey orbs look down at me in sorrow, and I feel myself melting into them. He is the one who shot the bullet that tore through my body, and yet, I do not feel hate. My breathing is becoming deeper now, as a faint snowflake trails down from the heavens and lands on my eyelash. As gently as he could, the Hero wisps it away with the slight turn of a hand, barely touching my face. Never moving my eyes from him, I want to cry. I feel his pain, his sorrow. For me. 

"I've been... Waiting for this moment..." I breath. Feeling choked, I cough up what is left of my blood, letting it form a cloud of crimson that mostly disappears into the air, the rest spotting my face. Once again he looks down at me and runs a finger across my chin, relieving me of my own blood, yet almost afraid to touch me. Around us, I hear the calls of my family, my dogs, as they howl into the skies. Some how, they know. 

"I've been lungshot...You... You cannot save me..." I am going to die. Yet I am still speaking. Speaking to him, talking into his grey eyes full of sorrow and knowledge. "Please.. Hero.. Just make it quick." 

"Wolf.." Hero says to me.. "You spared Meryl's life." 

Meryl.. His woman. "She...She was never my real target." I continue on. I can feel my heart open to him, talking to him, telling him of my life as a Kurd. How screams sirens and death were my lullabyes. Every morning I'd stare at the sun, wondering if I would make it through the day, of how many more of my friends and family where dead beside me. The gunfire still tore through my mind as I spoke of my past, spoke of Angelique Shivian, the scared little girl who prayed for death to take her yet had little strength to lift the blade to her own wrists to end her pain. In an atrophied state, after the latest bombing, I had thought of how finally, my life was taken and I was free of the sorrow and death. Yet I could still feel pain in my tortured body, as I slammed my fists into the ground, cursing God for sparing my life. 

Then thanking God for my Saladin.. 

"Saladin?" Hero speaks. "You mean Big Boss?" 

Again, I cough out a halo of blood and lean my head back into the snow. "I have shamed myself and my people.." I murmer, trying to make my voice strong. "I sold my body and my soul for the sake of revenge. I am nothing more then a dog..." 

Hero's eyes again. Soft. Serene. Beautiful. They pierce into my withering body again. "Wolves are noble animals..." he trails on, as I grasp every word he speaks. He says the most beautiful words.... "..They call people like us, the Dogs of war. But you're no dog, you're a wolf." 

"Are..Are you Saladin?" I gasp out. A strangled cry interrupts us, and his eyes turn sharply away from me. 

"No.." Another being in the snow field says. He is invisible to the naked eye, until suddenly Hal appears. My pain wracked body swells with adoration for the man, as he collapses to his knees and seemingly begins to pray. "I loved you..." He whispers, and I avert my eyes away from him, I cannot see him..like this.. 

I noticed a familiar shape next to him, and I reach for it. Hero asks me why, and I choke out "My gun... give it to me.." 

Hero does not move as Hal picks up my weapon and gingerly lays it on top of me. Gripping the barrel close to me, I smile as the calls of my family surround me, along with the Hero and Hal. "Finally.. we're all here.." I gaze back up at the Hero and smile. "Okay Hero..." I whisper. "Set me free." 

The heavens called to me that night, and I went to them. With a bang of a Socom and a whimper, I shed my dog exterior and soared above the winds as the wolf I was born to be.. 

Finally.. 

I am free. 

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~ 

Otacon shuddered out his pent up sobs to the ground, watching as his hot tears formed small dents in the ground. Behind him, Snake gave him a soulful glare before pulling out the handkerchief he was given while imprisoned. Kneeling down he wrapped the perfumed strip of cloth about her head and face, covering the blast from the Socom he created. Standing up, he whispered a silent prayer for the fallen Wolf and turned to Otacon, who was quieting his sobs and wiping his eyes underneath his glasses. 

"What are you doing?" He asked, sniffling. 

Snake grunted out "Returning it to it's rightful owner.." 

"Wh...Why?" Otacon sniffled. 

"..Because I don't have anymore tears to shed." 

Otacon howled with another burst of sadness, fresh tears forming on his face. Raising a fist to his eyes he wiped his cheeks and flicked the wetness off his finger tips. Clenching his eyes shut, he turned away from Otacon and faced the building infront of him. His next destination. 

"Otacon." He growled. "After today we may not see each other again." 

Otacon nodded, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "I know." 

"Leave Shadow Moses." Snake all but demanded. "Go on. Get a start on a new life, away from this crap." 

"No.." Otacon sounded out, looking at Snake. "I can't leave now. I still wanna help." 

Snake closed his eyes and faced away from the other man. "Fine. But stay outta my way. And when I tell you to, get outta here. Understood?!" 

Pushing his glasses up his nose once more, Otacon nodded. "Fine Snake. Fine.." He murmered. When Snake began to walk away, Otacon called out to him once more, another question entering his mind. "Snake! Wait!" 

"Now what?" Snake grumbled, looking at Otacon with irritation showing in his features. 

"You..You said that love can bloom on a battlefield. You were right..weren't you?" He blubbered out, sniffling. 

Snake froze. Turning to face Otacon, he was surprised at how he was affected by that one statement. On a full blown instant, Otacon had lost the love of his life, all at his hands. He was the one who fired the bullet that took away her life, and he was the one who repeatedly destroyed life after life in this quest for salvation. pausing for the briefest of a moment, Snake gave Otacon a curt nod before giving him his one last final reply and escaping into his final destination. 

"Yeah. I was. I still am. Go Otacon. Go. We have a job to do." 

With that, Snake breathed a sigh of a relief when Otacon nodded and pressed the tab at his waist, transforming into the ghost like figure of the base due to his stealth. Closing his eyes, Snake waited until he could no longer feel the presense of the young scientist before trailing down the steps, and breathed a sigh of relief. 

The last sounds they heard together at the moment where the howling of the wolves, mourning the master they loved. 

*************************************************************   
Angelique Shivian is just a name WhiteFeather was kind enough to help me think up for our favorite female sniper.   
I know, a lot of this is wrong, but it's been so long since I played the game...  
Special thanks to White Wolf for proof reading this piece. YOU ROCK MAN!


End file.
